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Single-cell insights into trophoblast heterogeneity and adaptive dysfunction in selective fetal growth restriction

ABSTRACT: Selective fetal growth restriction (sFGR) in monochorionic twins reflects placental dysfunction, but trophoblast adaptation mechanisms remain unclear. Using single-cell RNA sequencing of three MCDA twin pairs, we reveal villous cytotrophoblasts (VCT) in growth-restricted placentas shift from TP63/SOX6-expressing barrier phenotypes to metabolically stressed YY1/RELA-activated states, with upregulated glycolysis/mitochondrial dysfunction and downregulated adhesion pathways. Trajectory analysis shows diminished syncytial precursors, suggesting impaired fusion capacity. Immune profiling identifies depleted TREM2+ Hofbauer macrophages and expanded interferon-responsive NK cells. Cell-cell interaction mapping demonstrates enhanced IFNG-IFNGR1-STAT1 signaling between VCT_LDHA and immune cells, alongside weakened VCT_TP63-stromal crosstalk. This study defines a maladaptive triad of metabolic stress, inflammation, and structural disintegration in sFGR, contributing to sFGR pathogenesis.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE314816 | GEO | 2026/01/06

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:The mechanisms by which the placenta adapts to exogenous stimuli to create a stable and healthy environment for the growing fetus are not well known. Low oxygen tension and sub-optimal vitamin D levels influence placental function and both are associated with preeclampsia, a condition associated with altered development of placental trophoblast. We hypothesized that oxygen tension, vitamin D levels, or both affect villous trophoblast by modulation of gene expression through DNA methylation. To test this we used the Illumina Infinium Human Methylation 450 BeadChip array to compare the DNA methylation profile of primary cultures of human cytotrophoblasts and syncytiotrophoblasts under three oxygen tensions and three vitamin D levels. We found no effect on global DNA methylation by either treatment, but a limited set of loci became hypermethylated in cytotrophoblasts exposed for 24 hours to 1% oxygen, as compared to the same cells exposed to 8% or 20% oxygen. Vitamin D levels had no detectable effect on methylation profiles in either trophoblast type. Hypermethylation with low oxygen tension was independently confirmed by bisulfite-pyrosequencing in a subset of functionally important genes including CP, ITGA5, SOD2, XDH and ZNF2. Intriguingly, 70 out of the 147 hypoxia-associated CpGs, overlapped with CpG sites that become hypomethylated upon differentiation of cytotrophoblasts into syncytiotrophoblasts. Furthermore, the preponderance of altered sites was located at AP-1 binding sites. We suggest that AP-1 expression is triggered by hypoxia and interacts with DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) to target methylation at specific sites in the genome, thus causing suppression of the associated genes that are responsible for differentiation of villous cytotrophoblast to syncytiotrophoblast. RNA from cytotrophoblast from 2 placentas exposed to 3 different conditions of hypoxia (1%,8%,20%) and treated with 3 levels of vitamin D were run on the Illumina HT-12v4 Expression Array

Project description:The mechanisms by which the placenta adapts to exogenous stimuli to create a stable and healthy environment for the growing fetus are not well known. Low oxygen tension and sub-optimal vitamin D levels influence placental function and both are associated with preeclampsia, a condition associated with altered development of placental trophoblast. We hypothesized that oxygen tension, vitamin D levels, or both affect villous trophoblast by modulation of gene expression through DNA methylation. To test this we used the Illumina Infinium Human Methylation 450 BeadChip array to compare the DNA methylation profile of primary cultures of human cytotrophoblasts and syncytiotrophoblasts under three oxygen tensions and three vitamin D levels. We found no effect on global DNA methylation by either treatment, but a limited set of loci became hypermethylated in cytotrophoblasts exposed for 24 hours to 1% oxygen, as compared to the same cells exposed to 8% or 20% oxygen. Vitamin D levels had no detectable effect on methylation profiles in either trophoblast type. Hypermethylation with low oxygen tension was independently confirmed by bisulfite-pyrosequencing in a subset of functionally important genes including CP, ITGA5, SOD2, XDH and ZNF2. Intriguingly, 70 out of the 147 hypoxia-associated CpGs, overlapped with CpG sites that become hypomethylated upon differentiation of cytotrophoblasts into syncytiotrophoblasts. Furthermore, the preponderance of altered sites was located at AP-1 binding sites. We suggest that AP-1 expression is triggered by hypoxia and interacts with DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) to target methylation at specific sites in the genome, thus causing suppression of the associated genes that are responsible for differentiation of villous cytotrophoblast to syncytiotrophoblast. DNA from 2 cell types from 5 placentas exposed to 3 different conditions of hypoxia (1%,8%,20%) and treated with 3 levels of vitamin D were bisulfite converted and run on the Illumina HumanMethylation450 BeadChip

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Single-cell insights into trophoblast heterogeneity and adaptive dysfunction in selective fetal growth restriction

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